A Kenya Standard is a precise and authoritative statement of the criteria necessary to ensure that a material, product or procedure is fit for the purpose intended. Kenya Standards are developed through consensus of opinion in line with ISO/IEC guidelines. Kenya Standards fall in the following categories; glossaries or definitions of terminology, dimensional standards, performance standards, standard methods of test, codes of practice and measurement standards.
Kenya Standards are developed by Technical Committees comprising experts representing interested parties like producers, consumers, technologists, research and testing organizations, in both the private and public sectors. KEBS act as the Secretariat for the committees.
STAGE 1:CIRCULATION OF PROPOSAL FORMS
TC Secretaries circulate New Items Proposal Forms at least once a year to solicit views from the public in order to identify a need for the development of a standard in any field. In the event that the public does not have a comprehensive idea on what standard needs to be developed, the TC secretary does research on a potential or actual problem and circulates a form stating that there is an intention to develop a stated standard through a stated technical committee of the Bureau. Such a standard is intended to address the present needs of the industries with a view of assisting them have a competitive edge in the local and the international market.
To initiate standards development, the relevant TC Secretaries shall circulate SD: 05 Proposal for New Work Items for Standards Development (Appendix 16). In case there is an identified standard that will adequately address the situation, then the TC Secretary circulates an adoption proposal form (Form SD 11).
STAGE 2:JUSTIFICATION & PRIORITIZATION OF PROJECTS BY THE BRANCH
It must be shown that the proposed standard will satisfactorily address the problem as defined in stage 1. In particular, it must be shown that the development of the standard has taken into account the following among other factors:
i) importance of economic field
ii) degree of economic benefit
iii) importance as export item
iv) level of consumer protection
v) status of standard i.e. whether mandatory or voluntary
vi) volume of production or operation
vii) transfer of technology
STAGE 3:ALLOCATION OF PROJECTS BY ISC TO TC AND OF KS NUMBERS
ISC meeting to discuss and approve projects shall be held. The TC secretary should be able to show the Electrical Industry Standards Committee that the project standard is necessary and would be of benefit to the industry.
ISC secretary shall communicate to TC Secretaries the projects allocated to them and also issue committee Draft (CD)
STAGE 4:TC MEETINGS AND PREPARATION OF PRELIMINARY AND COMMITTEE DRAFT STANDARDS
- The TC Secretary shall receive the projects and numbers allocated from the ISC Secretary and open a file for the project.
- ) At the first TC meeting, a work group, a stakeholder or an expert shall be appointed by the TC to develop a Preliminary Draft. The secretariat shall help format the draft according to Section 4 of KS 07-01:1992: Editorial Guide. The group, stakeholders or expert shall consult stakeholders and other interest groups and develop a preliminary Draft. The time allocated to prepare the Preliminary Draft Standard shall not be more than three months.
- ) The second TC meeting shall be convened to discuss the Preliminary Draft. This shall be not later than six months after the first ISC meeting.
- If the TC meeting reaches general agreement on the Preliminary Draft, the TC secretary shall prepare a Committee Draft Standard and circulate to all TC members as resolved. One month shall be allowed for members to file any comments.
- A third TC meeting shall be convened not later than 2 months after the second TC meeting. The third TC meeting shall consider any comments filed, and if a consensus is reached on the committee draft, the TC secretary shall prepare the Draft Kenya Standard (DKS).
NOTE: In the whole process, the Bureau serves to provide facilities only. The drafting of the standard is done by the stakeholders while the Bureau provides secretarial, conference and postal delivery services. Therefore, the document is fully owned by the Technical Committee Members
STAGE 5:PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFT KENYA STANDARD, AND THE COMMENTS
The TC Secretary shall request for Draft Kenya Standard Number and insert on the draft.
The TC secretary shall circulate the Draft Kenya Standard for enquiry to the stakeholders and interest groups including the following:
i) All members of the TC
ii) General Manager, heads of branches, heads of departments in SDD
iii) Relevant HOD’s in Quality Assurance and Testing Services Divisions of KEBS
iv) Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM)
v) Relevant manufacturers or producers
vi) Consumer Organizations
vii) Relevant Educational and Research Institutions
viii) Other National Standards bodies
ix) ARSO
Appendix 11 shows the Cover Letter for Public Review Draft Standards, which shall be used to cover the Draft Kenya Standards. 60 days are allowed for receiving interest group comments
STAGE 6:TC MEETING FOR PREPARATION OF FINAL DRAFT STANDARD AND BALLOTING
i) The fourth TC meeting shall take place not later than one month after the end of the enquiry stage. At the end of the enquiry stage the TC secretary shall compile enquiry comments received and convene the fourth TC meeting to discuss the comments and agree on the Final Draft Kenya Standard. After the TC meeting, the TC secretary shall prepare the Final Draft Kenya Standard.
ii) Balloting Stage
The TC secretary shall circulate the Final Draft Kenya Standard to TC members together with ballot forms for balloting. One month shall be allowed for ballot forms to be returned.
STAGE 7: ISC DISCUSSION AND ACCEPTANCE OR FINAL DRAFT KENYA STANDARD
i) The TC secretary shall compile the results of balloting and summary on the background of development and of the contents of Final Draft Kenya Standard and forward to the ISC secretary.
The ISC secretary shall then convene a meeting of the Industry Standards Committee for the TC secretary to present the Final Draft Kenya Standard for acceptance not later than two months after the fourth TC meeting.
ii) Once the Final Draft Kenya Standard is accepted by the ISC meeting, the ISC secretary shall forward the Final Draft Kenya Standard and the summary background of the development process to the Managing Director, the secretary of the National Standards Council.
STAGE 8:NSC DISCUSSION APPROVAL OF THE FINAL DRAFT KENYA STANDARD
i) The ISC secretary shall present the draft to the NSC using the summary.
ii) GM-SDD shall request for a notification of approved standards together with signed copies of original standards from the secretary of the NSC, not later than one month after NSC meeting.
iii) GM-SDD shall update the Directory of Approved Standards and provide signed original copies of standards to the librarian for safekeeping, publishing and selling.
iv) If any project is to exceed one and a quarter years from the first ISC meeting before completion, this shall be reported to the ISC detailing the reasons and the justification for the further budgetary allocation
MINISTERIAL NOTIFICATION
i) On approval by the National Standards Council, the NSC secretary prepares a register of the approved standards for approval by the Minister in charge of Trade and Industry.
ii) On approval by the Minister, the NSC Secretary is authorized to prepare a list for the Minister to issue a legal notice in the Kenya Gazette the render the standard(s) legal.
ENFORCEMENT OF STANDARDS
Like any other law, it would be ineffective if the standards are not enforced. In this regard, the Government has established various a number of agencies to enforce the country’s laws in various spheres. Matters touching on standards are mainly in the domain of the Kenya Bureau of Standards. However, a number of other Government agencies jointly enforce the standards with the Kenya Bureau of Standards.
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